Nutley Public Schools

Nutley Public Schools
Address
315 Franklin Avenue
Nutley
, Essex County, New Jersey, 07110
United States
Coordinates40°49′15″N 74°10′03″W / 40.82075°N 74.167414°W / 40.82075; -74.167414
District information
GradesPreK-12
SuperintendentKent Bania
Business administratorBelgica Polanco (acting)
Schools7
Students and staff
Enrollment4,034 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Faculty328.6 FTEs[1]
Student–teacher ratio12.3:1[1]
Other information
District Factor GroupFG
Websitewww.nutleyschools.org
Ind. Per pupil District
spending		 Rank
(*)		 K-12
average		 %± vs.
average
1ATotal Spending$16,22620$18,891−14.1%
1Budgetary Cost13,2892914,783−10.1%
2Classroom Instruction8,304338,763−5.2%
6Support Services1,637112,392−31.6%
8Administrative Cost1,599751,4857.7%
10Operations & Maintenance1,366211,783−23.4%
13Extracurricular Activities2987126811.2%
16Median Teacher Salary67,5426964,043
Data from NJDoE 2014 Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending.[2]
*Of K-12 districts with more than 3,500 students. Lowest spending=1; Highest=103

Nutley Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Nutley, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[3]

As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of seven schools, had an enrollment of 4,072 students and 324.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.3:1.[1]

The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth-highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.[4]

Awards and recognition

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The district was selected as one of the top "100 Best Communities for Music Education in America 2005" by the American Music Conference.[5]

The NAMM Foundation named the district in its 2008 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 110 school districts nationwide.[6] The district was also named in the NAMM Foundation's 2009 survey of the "Best Communities for Music Education", which included 124 school districts nationwide.[7] It also attained this honor in 2010, 2011 and 2013.[8]

Nutley's schools, much like other Essex county communities, compete in various academic competitions on town, county, state, and even national levels. Popular in both the elementary and middle schools is the "Academically Speaking" county competition, which tests knowledge of almost all subjects and pits a carefully selected town-wide team against others from neighboring municipalities such as Bloomfield, Livingston, and Montclair.

Nutley's teams have routinely finished in the semi-finals or finals, and their middle school team won for the first time in 2007. It also won the competition in 2012.[9] Nutley also sends two representatives to compete for a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee and one for the National Geographic Bee. They have an active "Forensics" program in both the middle and elementary schools, in which talented students dramatize famous fictional works, and finish well in the semi-statewide MathCounts competition, finishing in the top half among some of the top schools in northern New Jersey two years running.

Schools

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Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[10]) are:[11][12]

Elementary schools (PreK/K-6)
  • Lincoln School[13] with 448 students in grades K-6. Lincoln was built in 1915, with further construction occurring in 1929. It is located at 301 Harrison Street.
    • Brooke Benavides, principal[14]
  • Radcliffe School[15] with 346 students in grades K-6. Located at 379 Bloomfield Avenue, it is the newest elementary school and was built in 1955.
    • Michael Kearney, principal[14]
  • Spring Garden School[16] with 439 students in grades PreK-6. Located at 59 South Spring Garden Avenue, the school was constructed in 1917 and expanded in 1927.
    • Laurie LaGuardia, principal[14]
  • Washington School[17] with 484 students in grades K-6. Washington was constructed in 1911 and expanded in 1927. It is the second oldest elementary school still in use in Nutley. It is located at 155 Washington Avenue.
    • Douglas T. Jones, principal[14]
  • Yantacaw School[18] with 480 students in grades K-6. Constructed in 1902, with an expansion in 1929, it is the oldest of the elementary schools still in use. It is located at 20 Yantacaw Place.
    • Frank Francia, principal[14]
Middle school
  • John H. Walker Middle School[19] with 618 students in grades 7-8. Located at 325 Franklin Avenue, the building served as Nutley's high school until 1959.
    • Joseph Materia, principal[14]
High school

Administration

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Core members of the district's administration are:[14][21]

  • Kent Bania, superintendent[22]
  • Belgica Polanco, acting business administrator[23]

In May 2024, a state monitor was named to oversee the district's finances and a loan of $7 million was given to cover a discrepancy in the district's finances.[24] David DiPisa, the district's business administrator and board secretary, was placed on administrative leave. [25]

Board of education

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The district's board of education, comprised of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[26][27][28][29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d District information for Nutley Public School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Taxpayers' Guide to Education Spending April 2013, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 15, 2013.
  3. ^ District Policy 0110 - Identification, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades PK through 12 in the Nutley School District. Composition: The Nutley School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of the Township of Nutley."
  4. ^ NJ Department of Education District Factor Groups (DFG) for School Districts, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed October 15, 2014.
  5. ^ Best 100 (101!) Communities for Music Education in America, 2005, American Music Conference. Accessed December 12, 2006.
  6. ^ "NAMM Foundation Names the 'Best Communities for Music Education'", NAMM, April 30, 2008. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  7. ^ "Nationwide Survey Finds the 'Best Communities for Music Education' in U.S.", NAMM, April 16, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2009.
  8. ^ "NAMM Best Communities for Music Education 2013" Archived 2013-05-26 at the Wayback Machine, NAMM. Accessed April 3, 2013.
  9. ^ "Nutley's Walker Middle School wins competition", Nutley Sun June 14, 2012. Accessed April 3, 2013
  10. ^ School Data for the Nutley Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 1, 2022.
  11. ^ School Performance Reports for the Nutley Public School District, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed April 3, 2024.
  12. ^ New Jersey School Directory for the Nutley Public Schools, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Lincoln School, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h District Contacts, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed March 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Radcliffe School, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  16. ^ Spring Garden School, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Washington School, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  18. ^ Yantacaw School, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  19. ^ John H. Walker Middle School, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  20. ^ Nutley High School, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed August 30, 2023.
  21. ^ New Jersey School Directory for Essex County, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 1, 2024.
  22. ^ Office Of The Superintendent, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed March 26, 2024.
  23. ^ Business Office Staff, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed May 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Gerry, Karina. "State monitor assigned to Nutley Public School District to assist with finances", News 12 Long Island, May 8, 2024. "The Nutley Public School District has been assigned a state monitor to assist in their multimillion-dollar budget shortfall. It was announced during Tuesday night’s school board meeting that the state will be providing a no-interest loan to the school district to cover what they believe is a $7 million shortage for the current school year.... The business administrator for the district has been put on administrative leave."
  25. ^ Corrado, Katie. "Nutley School District receives state monitor amid budget shortfall", WPIX, May 7, 2024. Accessed May 8, 2024. "The district’s business administrator, David Dipisa, remains on administrative leave. A search for a new, full-time business administrator will begin later this week. State monitor Jeanette Makus said at Tuesday night’s budget meeting that it appears Dipisa withdrew money from the maintenance reserve account and used it for other areas."
  26. ^ New Jersey Boards of Education by District Election Types - 2018 School Election, New Jersey Department of Education, updated February 16, 2018. Accessed January 26, 2020.
  27. ^ Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Nutley Board of Education, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2023. Accessed March 26, 2024. "The Nutley Board of Education (the 'Board' or the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of nine elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A Superintendent of Schools is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District. A School Business Administrator/Board Secretary is also appointed by the Board and oversees the business functions of the District."
  28. ^ About The Board Of Education, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed March 26, 2024. "Nutley Board of Education members are Nutley residents, elected to three-year terms.... This nine-member, elected Board is a policy setting body and is not responsible for the administration of the district. The Superintendent of Schools is responsible for implementing district policies, overseeing day-to-day administration and operations, and addressing problems."
  29. ^ Members Of The Board Of Education, Nutley Public Schools. Accessed March 26, 2024.
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